TODAYS WORD FOR WEDNESDAY APRIL 11, 2012.
MOURN
DEFINITION:
Feel or express sorrow; deplore; regret the loss of.
SCRIPTURE:
Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. Matthew 5:4.
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
This Beatitude can only be understood by one who is a believer in Jesus as Savior. How can a bereaved person be blessed amid grief? Mourning means to have a broken heart. A believer understands what the Psalmist meant when he wrote in Psalm30:5, “weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning.” God has promised to comfort the mourner in this life and in the life to come. Sorrow lasts for a short time but God’s comfort lasts for a lifetime
Mourning is an action or emotion that comes upon one as a sorrow for sin, a broken heart over evil, or suffering. A mourner is so full of grief that he cries and weeps deep from within.
But Jesus, in this Beatitude, tells us that we will be blessed when we feel we have lost something or someone most dear to us because only then can we know what it is to be embraced by the One most dear to us, our Lord.
There are normally three types of people that mourn.
First is the person who is desperately sorry for his sins. He has such a sense of sin that his heart is broken. The second is the person who really feels the desperate plight and terrible suffering of others. It could be tragedies, sinful behavior or the evil that one faces in the world. And finally there is the person who mourns because of a personal tragedy, loss, or intense trauma.
Those that mourn shall be comforted according to II Corinthians 1:3, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort.” God gives the one that mourns a settled peace from within. He receives an assurance of forgiveness and acceptance by God and a fullness of joy which is a sense of God’s presence, care and guidance.
There is also an eternal comfort that God gives one who mourns. It is an assurance that one will pass from death to life and will spend an eternity with Him. It is an assurance that God will wipe away all tears and swallow up death into victory. There will be no mourning in heaven. (Revelation 21:4)
The scripture tells us to mourn for lost souls. The apostle Paul in Romans 9:1-5 grieved for his “countrymen according to the flesh,” and longed desperately for their salvation. When lost souls mourn their life of sin it brings them to repent and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. Mourning comes before repentance. The penitent publican we are told, in Luke 18:13, that when He decided to repent, “beat his breast saying God be merciful to me as a sinner.” Mourning is part of true repentance.
When you study this Beatitude, “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted,” may you have a new understanding of the comfort God will give to you as believer in your time of need.
LEARNING:
We are memorizing this week the sixth commandment found in Exodus 20:13.
You shall not murder.
PRAYER:
May You break my heart in a new and fresh way so that I can reach out to help those who are mourning today? Thank You for the comfort you give to those of us who believe in You. Thank You for the message of this Beatitude. Give me and my family a desire to follow the teachings You gave us on the Sermon on the Mount.
April 15, 2012
Gems of Encouragement: April 14, 2012
APRIL 14 2012. GEMS OF ENCOURAGEMENT.
PROVERB: Hatred stirs up dissension, but love covers all wrong. Proverbs 10:12.
PROMISE: For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son so that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. John 3:16.
PRAISE: I will sing of the Lord’s great love forever; with my mouth I will make Your faithfulness known through all generations. Psalm 89:1.
PROVERB: Hatred stirs up dissension, but love covers all wrong. Proverbs 10:12.
PROMISE: For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son so that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. John 3:16.
PRAISE: I will sing of the Lord’s great love forever; with my mouth I will make Your faithfulness known through all generations. Psalm 89:1.
Hunger: April 13, 2012
TODAYS WORD FOR FRIDAY APRIL 13, 2012.
HUNGER
DEFINITION:
Craving for food; strong desire; urgent need.
SCRIPTURE:
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness. Matthew 5:6.
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
This week we have been looking at the Beatitudes that Jesus taught in His Sermon on the Mount one Beatitude each day. Today we look at the Beatitude on spiritual hunger.
We have often heard it said that the world is hungry for the gospel, but if this was true of everyone the whole world would be saved in a very short time. The truth is that the people of the world hunger and thirst, not for righteousness, but to satisfy their lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. I John 2:16-17 tells us this. Lust and pride can never be satisfied.
The scripture describes two kinds of righteousness which men hunger and thirst after. One is legal or self-righteousness. This is man’s own vain effort to establish his own righteousness by his own works, the works of the law. Titus 3:5 tells us that such “law works” cannot save a person from eternal damnation. These “law works” only produce self-righteousness which is, in God’s sight, like filthy rags, according to Isaiah 64:6.
The second kind of righteousness is the righteousness of God. Righteousness is what is right by God’s standards.
Romans 10:4 says that “For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.” And in Romans 3:22 (NIV), Paul tells us how we are made righteous. “Righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe.” Faith alone brings righteousness and only believers who have received righteousness will know the blessedness of Salvation which brings peace and joy. In this life there is no greater blessing than this.
Jesus is referring here to hunger and thirst as to have a starving spirit. It is a real hunger and starvation of the soul for righteousness. The word that Jesus uses here is translated from the Greek in the accusative case to mean all righteousness. When the word is used in the genitive case it means that a person sometimes feels a little hunger or thirst for a small bit of something. But Jesus says in this Beatitude, blessed are they that hunger and thirst for all righteousness, not for little tidbits.
It is important that we note that the person who hungers and thirsts to be righteous and to do righteousness shall be blessed. Many just want bits and pieces just enough to make them comfortable. This gives a person false security and leads ultimately to loose living.
You are blessed when you have worked up a good appetite for God. He is the food and drink that satisfies our hunger and thirst for righteousness.
Christ does not say, “Blessed are the righteous,” because no one is righteous. He does say, “Blessed are they who hunger and thirst after righteousness.” Man is born imperfect and has only one hope and that is to seek God who does not want anyone to perish for their unrighteousness but wants to make everyone righteous through Jesus’ atonement He made for us on Calvary. That is just what God does and He does this because He loves us.
Righteousness is the only thing that will fill and satisfy man’s innermost needs. And finally, being filled means to be filled with the spirit. In Ephesians 5:18 it says that the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, and peace.
Are you satisfied because you have received a full measure of God’s righteousness or are you still hungry?
LEARNING:
We are memorizing this week the sixth commandment found in Exodus 20:13.
You shall not murder.
PRAYER:
Help me today to take a new look as to how I should hunger and thirst after righteousness in my life. Help me to spend more time reading Your Word and communicating with You so that I may have the blessing of Your righteousness in my life. Thank you for the gift of Your Son that makes it possible for me to be made righteous in Your sight.
HUNGER
DEFINITION:
Craving for food; strong desire; urgent need.
SCRIPTURE:
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness. Matthew 5:6.
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
This week we have been looking at the Beatitudes that Jesus taught in His Sermon on the Mount one Beatitude each day. Today we look at the Beatitude on spiritual hunger.
We have often heard it said that the world is hungry for the gospel, but if this was true of everyone the whole world would be saved in a very short time. The truth is that the people of the world hunger and thirst, not for righteousness, but to satisfy their lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. I John 2:16-17 tells us this. Lust and pride can never be satisfied.
The scripture describes two kinds of righteousness which men hunger and thirst after. One is legal or self-righteousness. This is man’s own vain effort to establish his own righteousness by his own works, the works of the law. Titus 3:5 tells us that such “law works” cannot save a person from eternal damnation. These “law works” only produce self-righteousness which is, in God’s sight, like filthy rags, according to Isaiah 64:6.
The second kind of righteousness is the righteousness of God. Righteousness is what is right by God’s standards.
Romans 10:4 says that “For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.” And in Romans 3:22 (NIV), Paul tells us how we are made righteous. “Righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe.” Faith alone brings righteousness and only believers who have received righteousness will know the blessedness of Salvation which brings peace and joy. In this life there is no greater blessing than this.
Jesus is referring here to hunger and thirst as to have a starving spirit. It is a real hunger and starvation of the soul for righteousness. The word that Jesus uses here is translated from the Greek in the accusative case to mean all righteousness. When the word is used in the genitive case it means that a person sometimes feels a little hunger or thirst for a small bit of something. But Jesus says in this Beatitude, blessed are they that hunger and thirst for all righteousness, not for little tidbits.
It is important that we note that the person who hungers and thirsts to be righteous and to do righteousness shall be blessed. Many just want bits and pieces just enough to make them comfortable. This gives a person false security and leads ultimately to loose living.
You are blessed when you have worked up a good appetite for God. He is the food and drink that satisfies our hunger and thirst for righteousness.
Christ does not say, “Blessed are the righteous,” because no one is righteous. He does say, “Blessed are they who hunger and thirst after righteousness.” Man is born imperfect and has only one hope and that is to seek God who does not want anyone to perish for their unrighteousness but wants to make everyone righteous through Jesus’ atonement He made for us on Calvary. That is just what God does and He does this because He loves us.
Righteousness is the only thing that will fill and satisfy man’s innermost needs. And finally, being filled means to be filled with the spirit. In Ephesians 5:18 it says that the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, and peace.
Are you satisfied because you have received a full measure of God’s righteousness or are you still hungry?
LEARNING:
We are memorizing this week the sixth commandment found in Exodus 20:13.
You shall not murder.
PRAYER:
Help me today to take a new look as to how I should hunger and thirst after righteousness in my life. Help me to spend more time reading Your Word and communicating with You so that I may have the blessing of Your righteousness in my life. Thank you for the gift of Your Son that makes it possible for me to be made righteous in Your sight.
Meek: April 12, 2012
TODAYS WORD FOR THURSDAY APRIL 12, 2012.
MEEK
DEFINITION:
Humble; submissive; gentle; docile; kind.
SCRIPTURE:
Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. Matthew 5:5.
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
Today we will look at the third Beatitude that Jesus taught on the Sermon on the Mount. The philosophy of the world is the exact opposite of this Beatitude. People of the world consider the meek (humble and submissive) person to be weak and cowardly. But what the world does not understand is that the most gentle, meek and humble person that ever lived on this earth was our Lord Jesus Christ.
Yes, the world may consider the meek to be weak, but meekness is not weakness. To be meek is to be in control of your actions and that takes God’s strength and His power. For a better understanding of this we need to read and study Ephesians 3:13-19. No, the meek are not weak; they are “strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.” Ephesians 6:10
The meek person is a quiet person. He is quiet before God, he surrenders to God and he communicates with God. A meek person is also quiet before men. He walks quietly before men and he is controlled in all things including his reactions, his speech and behavior.
A believer in Jesus, who is meek according to the standard of God, is blessed when he or she is content with who they are and what they have in the Lord. That is the moment you will find yourself the proud owner of everything that can be inherited from God on this earth.
When Jesus said that the meek would inherit the earth, there were two points to be stressed. The meek will inherit the earth now. They will enjoy the good things of the earth that God has blessed them with. The meek are comfortable with themselves. They know who they are and strong and confident in their faith. They know where they are going and are assured of victory, conquest and triumph over whatever confronts them. And they have peaceful souls because they have learned that whatever pressure or tension comes their way they will turn it over to Christ.
Secondly, the earth is the meek’s eternally for they will be part of God’s kingdom in the new heavens and earth. (Revelation 21:1-3) They have an inheritance of eternal life and dominion is promised for them, for they are joint-heirs with Christ.
LEARNING:
We are memorizing this week the sixth commandment found in Exodus 20:13.
You shall not murder.
Prayer:
Help me to be meek and gentle to those I communicate with today so that each one can see Christ in me and through me.
MEEK
DEFINITION:
Humble; submissive; gentle; docile; kind.
SCRIPTURE:
Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. Matthew 5:5.
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
Today we will look at the third Beatitude that Jesus taught on the Sermon on the Mount. The philosophy of the world is the exact opposite of this Beatitude. People of the world consider the meek (humble and submissive) person to be weak and cowardly. But what the world does not understand is that the most gentle, meek and humble person that ever lived on this earth was our Lord Jesus Christ.
Yes, the world may consider the meek to be weak, but meekness is not weakness. To be meek is to be in control of your actions and that takes God’s strength and His power. For a better understanding of this we need to read and study Ephesians 3:13-19. No, the meek are not weak; they are “strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.” Ephesians 6:10
The meek person is a quiet person. He is quiet before God, he surrenders to God and he communicates with God. A meek person is also quiet before men. He walks quietly before men and he is controlled in all things including his reactions, his speech and behavior.
A believer in Jesus, who is meek according to the standard of God, is blessed when he or she is content with who they are and what they have in the Lord. That is the moment you will find yourself the proud owner of everything that can be inherited from God on this earth.
When Jesus said that the meek would inherit the earth, there were two points to be stressed. The meek will inherit the earth now. They will enjoy the good things of the earth that God has blessed them with. The meek are comfortable with themselves. They know who they are and strong and confident in their faith. They know where they are going and are assured of victory, conquest and triumph over whatever confronts them. And they have peaceful souls because they have learned that whatever pressure or tension comes their way they will turn it over to Christ.
Secondly, the earth is the meek’s eternally for they will be part of God’s kingdom in the new heavens and earth. (Revelation 21:1-3) They have an inheritance of eternal life and dominion is promised for them, for they are joint-heirs with Christ.
LEARNING:
We are memorizing this week the sixth commandment found in Exodus 20:13.
You shall not murder.
Prayer:
Help me to be meek and gentle to those I communicate with today so that each one can see Christ in me and through me.
Poor: April 10, 2012
TODAYS WORD FOR TUESDAY APRIL 10, 2012.
POOR
DEFINITION:
Needy; not rich; little or no wealth; humble.
SCRIPTURE:
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom in heaven. Matthew 5:3.
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
As we begin our studies on the Beatitudes we need to notice that each Beatitude begins with the word “blessed.” It must be understood what Jesus meant by “blessed.” Blessed does not mean worldly prosperity and a life of ease. To be blessed means to experience hope and joy outside of prosperity and circumstances.
“Blessed are the poor in spirit” is the first Beatitude that Jesus taught in His famous Sermon on the Mount. The POOR IN SPIRIT are empty of all spiritual pride. A spirit of pride is the spirit of this age of which Satan is god. To be poor in spirit is to have a “contrite and humble spirit” as Isaiah wrote in Isaiah 57:15.
Being “poor in spirit” does not mean that a person must be poverty stricken and financially poor. Hunger, nakedness, and slums are not pleasing to God, especially in a world of plenty. Christ in this Beatitude is not speaking about material poverty.
First of all, being “poor in spirit”, as Jesus was teaching, means for us to acknowledge our utter helplessness before God. It is the opposite of feeling self-sufficient. We must recognize our spiritual poverty and spiritual neediness. We are to be solely dependent upon God to meet our need and not to rely on our selves.
Secondly, it is to acknowledge our spiritual deadness and our inability to face life and eternity apart from God. For us to have the real blessings of life and eternity it will only come from having a right relationship with God.
And finally, being “poor in spirit” is to acknowledge our lack of superiority before all others. This is acknowledging that we are no better, no richer, and no more superior to the next person, no matter what we have achieved in this world. We are to approach life with a humble attitude, contributing all we can to a needy world out of a spirit of appreciation for what God has done for us.
The message translation of this beatitude says; “You are blessed when you are at the end of your rope. With less of you there is more of God.” That says it very plainly, doesn’t it?
The opposite of being poor in spirit is having a spirit full of self. There is a world of difference between these two spirits. There is a difference in thinking that we are righteous in ourselves versus that we need the righteousness of Christ. Self righteousness dies but the righteousness that is of Christ lives forever.
A person that acknowledges his spiritual poverty turns his attention away from the things of this world and reaches out to God and seeks His kingdom.
The poor in spirit are weary of the deceptive enticements of this world and burdened for those who are lost in the world we live in. The poor in spirit receive from God the gift of life everlasting and eternal fellowship with God.
LEARNING:
This week we are memorizing the sixth commandment found in Exodus 20:13.
You shall not murder.
PRAYER:
Help me to acknowledge my spiritual poverty and give me a desire to be poor in spirit and know the fullness of God’s blessing. Help me to always seek Your righteousness and allow You to be in control of my life.
POOR
DEFINITION:
Needy; not rich; little or no wealth; humble.
SCRIPTURE:
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom in heaven. Matthew 5:3.
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
As we begin our studies on the Beatitudes we need to notice that each Beatitude begins with the word “blessed.” It must be understood what Jesus meant by “blessed.” Blessed does not mean worldly prosperity and a life of ease. To be blessed means to experience hope and joy outside of prosperity and circumstances.
“Blessed are the poor in spirit” is the first Beatitude that Jesus taught in His famous Sermon on the Mount. The POOR IN SPIRIT are empty of all spiritual pride. A spirit of pride is the spirit of this age of which Satan is god. To be poor in spirit is to have a “contrite and humble spirit” as Isaiah wrote in Isaiah 57:15.
Being “poor in spirit” does not mean that a person must be poverty stricken and financially poor. Hunger, nakedness, and slums are not pleasing to God, especially in a world of plenty. Christ in this Beatitude is not speaking about material poverty.
First of all, being “poor in spirit”, as Jesus was teaching, means for us to acknowledge our utter helplessness before God. It is the opposite of feeling self-sufficient. We must recognize our spiritual poverty and spiritual neediness. We are to be solely dependent upon God to meet our need and not to rely on our selves.
Secondly, it is to acknowledge our spiritual deadness and our inability to face life and eternity apart from God. For us to have the real blessings of life and eternity it will only come from having a right relationship with God.
And finally, being “poor in spirit” is to acknowledge our lack of superiority before all others. This is acknowledging that we are no better, no richer, and no more superior to the next person, no matter what we have achieved in this world. We are to approach life with a humble attitude, contributing all we can to a needy world out of a spirit of appreciation for what God has done for us.
The message translation of this beatitude says; “You are blessed when you are at the end of your rope. With less of you there is more of God.” That says it very plainly, doesn’t it?
The opposite of being poor in spirit is having a spirit full of self. There is a world of difference between these two spirits. There is a difference in thinking that we are righteous in ourselves versus that we need the righteousness of Christ. Self righteousness dies but the righteousness that is of Christ lives forever.
A person that acknowledges his spiritual poverty turns his attention away from the things of this world and reaches out to God and seeks His kingdom.
The poor in spirit are weary of the deceptive enticements of this world and burdened for those who are lost in the world we live in. The poor in spirit receive from God the gift of life everlasting and eternal fellowship with God.
LEARNING:
This week we are memorizing the sixth commandment found in Exodus 20:13.
You shall not murder.
PRAYER:
Help me to acknowledge my spiritual poverty and give me a desire to be poor in spirit and know the fullness of God’s blessing. Help me to always seek Your righteousness and allow You to be in control of my life.
Beatitudes: April 9, 2012
TODAYS WORD FOR MONDAY APRIL 9, 2012.
BEATITUDES
DEFINITION:
The statements of Jesus on blessedness in the Sermon on the Mount.
SCRIPTURE:
Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. Matthew 4:17.
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
Each day for the next 8 days we will discuss one of the eight Beatitudes that Jesus taught His disciples and the masses when He preached His famous Sermon on the Mount, as recorded in Mathew chapter 5.
Crowds were following Jesus wanting to hear more about the kingdom of God and how to be part of it. When Jesus saw that there was a huge crowd following Him, He climbed a hillside, found a quiet place and sat down. From that hillside location he began to teach what came to be known as the Sermon on the Mount.
The beatitudes define the character qualities that Jesus expects of those who would be part of His kingdom. The Beatitudes are the ATTITUDES that should BE evident in the lives of those who love the Lord.
The Sermon on the Mount is our King Jesus’ manifesto of His principles. It has gone down through the centuries known as the greatest of all sermons ever preached. The disciples and the multitudes that listened were in awe. Jesus’ principles were so different and completely new to them.
Jesus followers wanted to make Him King, but Jesus had made it clear that the King could not establish His kingdom on earth because the Jewish people would not repent and accept the Messiah as their King. Thus we do not have yet the kingdom on earth but we do have the King’s manifesto (proclamation) presented by Jesus in this sermon. We are to put into practice these principles of His manifesto as we live in this corrupt world system because we are Christ’s representatives to those who are lost.
The Beatitudes reveal the secret of true happiness to us as believers. We need to remember that our happiness is not found in the things we have but in what we are in Christ Jesus. We encourage you to study these Beatitudes with us for these next eight days with an open heart, a receptive mind, and a humble spirit, always being in prayer.
In these Beatitudes Jesus chose to teach reversed values. God’s values contradict the world’s values. In other words, instead of teaching about the rich he taught about the poor. By doing it this way He wanted to dispute the conventional wisdom of the time which said the wealthy and influential enjoyed more of God’s blessings. Jesus wanted His followers to see that material things are only temporary and certainly not the only reality in life. He did not want them to think that their current situations were signs of God’s blessings or judgment; instead He wanted the masses and the disciples to see that the poor can be spiritually wealthy.
Seldom in history have so few words been spoken with so much meaning as what Jesus spoke in these beatitudes. The Beatitudes of our Lord, as they are known to us today, are powerful, holding before us and the world a descriptive picture of the true disciple of God. The Beatitudes cover the glorious hope and reward that the believer can expect not only now but in eternity.
For the next eight days set a time aside each day to read our devotional and then go to Matthew and read the beatitudes all together. You will be reading your King’s manifesto, your guideline for a spirit filled life here on earth. Be blessed, as we are, with our study of these beatitudes.
LEARNING:
This week we will memorize the sixth commandment found in Exodus 20:13.
You shall not murder.
PRAYER:
Thank You for this wonderful manifesto that You have given the disciples and the masses that sat and listened to You as you taught the Sermon on the Mount. Thank You that these Beatitudes are relevant for me and my family today. Help me to be drawn closer to You as I study these each day.
BEATITUDES
DEFINITION:
The statements of Jesus on blessedness in the Sermon on the Mount.
SCRIPTURE:
Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. Matthew 4:17.
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
Each day for the next 8 days we will discuss one of the eight Beatitudes that Jesus taught His disciples and the masses when He preached His famous Sermon on the Mount, as recorded in Mathew chapter 5.
Crowds were following Jesus wanting to hear more about the kingdom of God and how to be part of it. When Jesus saw that there was a huge crowd following Him, He climbed a hillside, found a quiet place and sat down. From that hillside location he began to teach what came to be known as the Sermon on the Mount.
The beatitudes define the character qualities that Jesus expects of those who would be part of His kingdom. The Beatitudes are the ATTITUDES that should BE evident in the lives of those who love the Lord.
The Sermon on the Mount is our King Jesus’ manifesto of His principles. It has gone down through the centuries known as the greatest of all sermons ever preached. The disciples and the multitudes that listened were in awe. Jesus’ principles were so different and completely new to them.
Jesus followers wanted to make Him King, but Jesus had made it clear that the King could not establish His kingdom on earth because the Jewish people would not repent and accept the Messiah as their King. Thus we do not have yet the kingdom on earth but we do have the King’s manifesto (proclamation) presented by Jesus in this sermon. We are to put into practice these principles of His manifesto as we live in this corrupt world system because we are Christ’s representatives to those who are lost.
The Beatitudes reveal the secret of true happiness to us as believers. We need to remember that our happiness is not found in the things we have but in what we are in Christ Jesus. We encourage you to study these Beatitudes with us for these next eight days with an open heart, a receptive mind, and a humble spirit, always being in prayer.
In these Beatitudes Jesus chose to teach reversed values. God’s values contradict the world’s values. In other words, instead of teaching about the rich he taught about the poor. By doing it this way He wanted to dispute the conventional wisdom of the time which said the wealthy and influential enjoyed more of God’s blessings. Jesus wanted His followers to see that material things are only temporary and certainly not the only reality in life. He did not want them to think that their current situations were signs of God’s blessings or judgment; instead He wanted the masses and the disciples to see that the poor can be spiritually wealthy.
Seldom in history have so few words been spoken with so much meaning as what Jesus spoke in these beatitudes. The Beatitudes of our Lord, as they are known to us today, are powerful, holding before us and the world a descriptive picture of the true disciple of God. The Beatitudes cover the glorious hope and reward that the believer can expect not only now but in eternity.
For the next eight days set a time aside each day to read our devotional and then go to Matthew and read the beatitudes all together. You will be reading your King’s manifesto, your guideline for a spirit filled life here on earth. Be blessed, as we are, with our study of these beatitudes.
LEARNING:
This week we will memorize the sixth commandment found in Exodus 20:13.
You shall not murder.
PRAYER:
Thank You for this wonderful manifesto that You have given the disciples and the masses that sat and listened to You as you taught the Sermon on the Mount. Thank You that these Beatitudes are relevant for me and my family today. Help me to be drawn closer to You as I study these each day.
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